Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir has defended his record at DAERA after the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) passed a motion of no confidence in his department.

At Stormont on Monday, the Alliance MLA said he was “disappointed” to hear about the unanimous vote taken by the UFU’s executive committee last week.

“I respect the UFU. It is a representative lobby group. I will continue to engage with it, but I have to serve everyone in NI,” he said.

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“We should ensure that we listen to different views, but we should base our decisions on the science and evidence, not on the views of any particular group,” he added.

Minister Muir argued that many of the “significant challenges” facing his department at present were due to “indecision and wrong decisions” by previous ministers at DAERA. “We all know the challenges. The difference is that I am just being honest about them,” he said.

Decisions

The North Down MLA said when it comes to issues such as planning reform and wildlife intervention for TB control, he had to make sure his policy decisions could not be challenged in court.

“It requires leadership that ensures that the law is complied with and that policy is shaped by evidence, not rhetoric,” he said.

Minister Muir was also keen to point out various wins that he has secured for farming, including NI Executive agreement to ring-fence the £300m farm support budget.

Priorities

During a debate at Stormont on Monday, an underlying theme from Minister Muir’s political opponents was the suggestion that he was prioritising the environment over agriculture.

The sharpest criticism came from Traditional Unionist Voice MLA Timothy Gaston, who called on Minister Muir to resign from DAERA in the wake of the UFU no confidence vote.

“If you think that I am going somewhere, Mr Gaston, you have another think coming. I have a job of work to do, and I do it across the whole remit of the Department, [which is] the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs,” Minister Muir responded.